Steady Stiching

Might be a good idea to also note the cominalty of quilters old and new.
Also referr to the fact that quilting has always been a "modern" craft, women through the ages have relied on quilting to express their point of views politically and culturaly, the patterns and the fabric used were also "modern" throughout the ages as well.
See this article: http://www.womenfolk.com/historyofquilts/articles.htm

2manyprojects

Don'tt mean to add more confusion but addinginfo on underground RR and controversy would be artful too

kellen46

For me sewing, quilting, any handwork is like a zen meditation. I know in the past...my own included quilting was a necessity. I needed warm bedclothes for my children, I had very little money but a reliable sewing machine. I did sew clothes for myself and my children as well as household needs. With thrift sales, and reusing outgrown clothing I found fabric for all these things. Now my children are grown (although they tell me they still need lots of quilts.) I still thrift fabric but money is not an issue and I have five reliable machines...my first one included. I love to start a pattern, it is the puzzle, making the quilt is the solving of the puzzle. My mind is engaged my hands are busy, a Zen state. Some times however I just want rote hand gestures so my mind can go free, meditation. I don't seem to be able to just sit and not think, but I can sit in the shade of fine tree, or in a warm and comfy chair and crochet beanies, or do some handwork and let my mind roam a universe of thought. I think it has always been this way from a neolithic fisherman mending his nets to the most dedicated long armer swooping through a feathered swirl. What is different now is that I do not need sew unless I want to. My kids are neck deep in quilts, they could buy a blanket if they wanted too, or just turn up the heat, but still I sew and still they ask for quilts. Quilting and sewing now feeds a need other than family care. It feeds my mind, and my soul. I told my sons that when I die I am going to leave behind lots of sewing stuff, fabric, machines, et al but don't get rid of it because I am coming back and I want it. My son Vern laughed and said "you know Mom, if ten years or so after you pass a little girl shows up at the door and says I am here for the sewing stuff, I would not be a bit surprised". I feel that when you are released from need, your passions can become art, no matter how homey the offering. Who is to say that a Rembrandt masterpiece is any more intrinsically valuable than a wonderful blackberry cobbler from hand picked berries that grow wild on a fence, consumed in a dusky August twilight, sitting on the porch with a tall ice tea to wash it down. Now that is artful.

svenskaflicka1

i have always been impressed with the fact that anything that started as a "common" enterprise eventually becomes art. painting on a cave wall has been refined to works that take our breath away. wrought iron, a staple since early times, has become an amazing art form. cooking--something used to keep us merely fed, has been elevated to an art form, as has clothing, writing, music--and quilting. a basic form, used to keep families warm, using available materials like old clothing, corn husks, paper, wool, cotton, etc, has been turned into a celebration of what was once common. the used clothing has instead become fantastic fabric designed for beauty, nostalgia, embellishment; and the stitching once learned at a mother's side has become art in its own right.

the human mind and heart is a wonderful playground for creativity, and we need to do just that--create. it keeps us alive.

lfstamper

Since your degree is in accounting, you might also incorporate how much MATH is involved and the importance of understanding numbers! I am a CPA and I wish I had learned quilting a lot younger...lol.

Slow2Sew

Don't know if you could work it into your speech, but for me quilting is not only a creative outlet, but also a way to donate something special and unique to another person.

IBQLTN

Quilting Arts daily blog may give you some topics to jog your creative juices:

http://www.quiltingdaily.com/blogs/q...y/default.aspx

Congratulations on your achievement!

QandE2010

It looks like you have received some very helpful ideas, but I just want to add my congratulations to you on getting your degree. That is something you can be very proud of. Good luck with your presentation.

EvelynJ

Show some Landscape quilts or the Patriotic quilts going to soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq. I can't wait to see the huge A+ you'll receive on your informative speech. Good luck!!

KyKaren1949

I have a powerpoint I made to teach the history of quilting to my class. I would be glad to forward it to you if you private message me with your email. I have presented it several times at quilt shows and to community groups. I don't know if it has anything you can use or not, but I would be glad to share it with you.